Zero-waste restaurant SILO | Second location opened in London
Front of the zero-waste restaurant SILO in The White Building in London
Zero waste restaurant SILO in The White Building in London
The team behind the zero-waste restaurant SILO in London
Yesterday, Wednesday 13th November SILO, the world’s first zero-waste restaurant SILO by award-winning chef Douglas McMaster, joined CRATE Brewery, in their Hackney Wick home, The White Building. A zero-waste pioneer, Douglas’ innovative approach is threaded throughout the whole restaurant and its supply chains: from trading directly with farmers to composting any leftover scraps into compost, the continuing aim is to ‘close the loop’ in the food production process.
Back in 2014 we wrote about restaurant SILO in Brighton, back then had just opened his restaurant after being funded with crowdfunding, so it’s great to notice that the sustainable initiatives of chef Douglas McMaster pay off.
Zero-waste restaurant SILO in London
SILO will open its doors at 6pm for dinner which will see a continually changing menu of ten to fifteen dishes for guests to choose from, such as grilled fantail squid, white kimchi and Douglas fir; Jerusalem artichokes cooked on fire and served with Cashel Blue and ruby kraut; and blue potatoes, barbecued sea kale and caramelised whey. For something sweet, golden linseed ice-cream with fig leaf oil; and sea buckthorn, fresh cheese, grand fir and fermented caramel. On the weekends, Silo will open for brunch from 10am, with a menu featuring dishes such as the Silo porridge, made with freshly rolled oats and home-made crème fraîche, topped with seasonal fruit; coddled eggs, kimchi, black pudding and freshly baked sourdough, and to drink, a selection of fresh juices made using wonky fruit and veg.
The drinks | Wine list, cocktail list, JARR Kombucha
The wine list will be put together by Ania Smelskaya, previously of Sager + Wilde, SILO Brighton and Plateau Brighton, and will be created in line with SILO’s philosophy, with Ania sourcing from small, artisanal producers such as Sussex-based wine producer, Ben Walgate of Tillingham Wines, and Eduard and Stephanie Eselböck-Tscheppe of Gut Oggau, where they produce biodynamic, zero sulphite wines. For something a little stronger, there will be a cocktail list, made in collaboration with award-winning bartender, Mr Lyan, and Empirical Spirits, the Copenhagen-based grain-to-bottle distillery. Brewed exclusively for SILO by JARR Kombucha, there will be a Fig Leaf Kombucha with fruity undertones of white grapes and green apples, as well as craft beer from Silo’s partner, award-winning CRATE Brewery.
The White Building | The interior of zero-waste restaurant SILO
Housed on the upper floor of The White Building, Silo’s interiors will be designed by Nina Woodcroft, renowned interior designer known for her focus on sustainable design, and material conservationist, Seetal Solanki. As guests climb the canalside cast-iron staircase, they will enjoy views over the River Lea, before entering the restaurant which boasts the building’s original large, steel-framed windows and red-painted steel trusses. The open space will be an ‘innovative evolution of Silo Brighton’ says Douglas, with a few pioneering, high-quality materials, such as cork, mycelium, and upcycled plastic and leather, forming the base of the design. There will be an open kitchen with a burning fire at the centre, furniture made from post-industrial materials, and a large hand-crafted counter made from upcycled plastic packaging by Smile Plastics, a waste materials design and manufacturing house, where guests can watch the action of the kitchen unfold.
Together under one roof, CRATE Brewery and Silo will work together to bring Douglas’ vision of a sustainable eco system to all areas of The White Building, including hosted workshops by Douglas in the new events space next door to the restaurant. Other major changes to The White Building, led by CRATE Brewery, include an installation of a new state of the art pilot brewery, bringing more focus to small batches and unique beers available in the taproom, and outside, an Amphitheatre-style seating area will be created, overlooking the canal which has become such a focal point of the East London site. Tom Seaton, Co-founder of CRATE Brewery, says, “We are so excited to be embarking on this new chapter in CRATE’s story with Doug and SILO, and to ensure that sustainability and creativity thrives throughout all areas of the business.” Douglas McMaster adds, “I’m thrilled to be joining the team and opening SILO in London – it will of course follow the same philosophy with sustainability at the forefront but we’re constantly raising the bar when it comes to up-cycling and zero waste, so more exciting developments to come.”
Website: SILO London
